Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn

Mythago Wood #6

by Robert Holdstock

After a gifted scientist disappears while documenting the ancient forest of Ryhope Wood, his son Christian embarks on a journey to find him, only to be distracted by his feelings for a Celtic warrior, a heroine who happens to hold the key to the mystery of the universe.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Robert Paul Holdstock was an English novelist and author who is best known for his works of fantasy literature, predominantly in the fantasy subgenre of mythic fiction.

Holdstock's writing was first published in 1968. His science fiction and fantasy works explore philosophical, psychological, anthropological, spiritual, and woodland themes. He has received three BSFA awards and won the World Fantasy Award in the category of Best Novel in 1985.

Pseudonyms are Chris Carlsen, Robert Faulcon,Robert Black, Steven Eisler and Richard Kirk.

Reviews

[Ints · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grāmata ir cieši saistīta ar pašu pirmo cikla grāmatu „Mitago mežs”. Tiem , kas to ir lasījuši, domāju radās jautājums – kādēļ Stīvena brālis Kristiāns kļuvis tik ļauns un nežēlīgs? Šī grāmata mums sniedz daļēju atbildi uz šo jautājumu. Tā apraksta Kristiāna ceļojumu Mitago mežā, vismaz par tā sākumu.

Kristiāns, nokļuvis Mitago mežā, pievienojas Leģionam, kas, Kylhuk (velsiešu mītu varonis) vadīts, pilda Kvestus (uzdevumus) gan pašiem uzdotos, gan citu (par attiecīgu samaksu). Leģiona galamērķis ir nonākt līdz mirušo valstības vārtiem un satikt tās sargu Mabon, kurš tad arī sargā Ziloņkaula un Raga vārtus. Krisiānam ir jāizpilda daudzi uzdevumi līdz viņš nonāk pie šiem vārtiem. Viņš visu izdara pareizi, pat izvēlas pareizos vārtus, kļūda tiek pielaista tikai pašās beigās.

Šo grāmatu varētu saukt arī par Kristiāna apoloģiju, jo autors pieliek visas pūles, lai lasītājs uztvertu šo tēlu pozitīvi. Lielākā daļa no grāmatas mitago tēliem ņemti no velsiešu teiksmas „Culhwch and Olwen”, daļa ir Homēra „Odisejas” un „Illiādas” tēli. Iesākumā ir grūti pierast pie galveno varoņu dīvainajiem vārdiem, bet ar laiku jau pierod. Mulsina arī autora izveidotais Leģiona koncepts. Savā pastāvēšanas laikā Leģions ir ieguvis tik daudz ienaidnieku, ka viņam ir jābēg visu laiku. Bēgšanai tiek izmantoti tradicionālie portāli – pašiem savs telplaiks, ja godīgi, es šī pasākuma izvēršanai grāmatā jēgu neredzēju un tas mani nedaudz kaitināja.

Atšķirībā no iepriekšējām cikla daļām varoņi ir vairāk nostrādāti, lai arī stāstījums rit trešajā personā, varoņi šķiet daudz dzīvāki. Kristiāna komandā ir gan Gwyneth (viņa lielā mīlestība), gan Issabeau (burve, Merlina mācekle), Someone (varonis, kas nezina savu vārdu), Jarag (akmens laikmeta mednieks). Epizodiski parādās arī mirušo pārcēlāja Hārona prototips Elidyr.

Šajā grāmatā cilvēka iztēles iedarbība uz mitago vairs nav īpaši izcelta. Mūsu varonis ar savu iztēli nekādus jaunus mythago nerada, viņš vienkārši dzīvo to vidū. Lasot gan jābūt visai uzmanīgam, ja tāds būsi tad beigās visas sižeta līnijas smuki sakārtosies un viss kļūs skaidrs, pat tās vietas, kuras lasot tu domā WTF, priekš kam tas te iepīts?

Kopumā laba piedzīvojumu fantasy, kas atsauc atmiņā bērnībā lasītu pasaku un leģendu varoņus, parādot tos jaunā kvalitātē. Kārtējā grāmata, kuru sākot lasīt nespēj nolikt nost neizlasot līdz galam. Iesaku izlasīt visiem, kas ir lasījuši „Mitago mežu”. Grāmatai dodu 10 no 10 ballēm.

PS. Šīs grāmatas atrašana un iegāde man sagādāja visai lielas problēmas. Amazonē nebija pieejama, tādēļ nācās nopirkt kādā ASV lietoto grāmatu tirdzniecības i-veikalā. Lai arī pati grāmata maksāja tikai 1$ piegāde uz Latviju vēl plus 10$. Tā nu pēc nedēļas gaidīšanas pastā saņēmu grāmatiņu ar virsū uzspiestu štempeli DISCARD un iekšpusē informāciju, ka grāmatiņa ir kādas ASV bibliotēkas īpašums.

[Miriam Cihodariu]

The sixth Mythago Wood installment was OK and managed to weave more detail into Christian's backstory and his time in the wood before returning to confront his brother Steven. I liked the story (and the character development, but it still doesn't manage to explain how he ended up so callous in the future we already know about).
I also liked that the myths and lore explored are still pretty consistent with neolithic/shamanistic societies, but it still brought in some elements from other cultures as well. I think this can be tricky but it was an OK fit in the end.
It also provides a huge twist into the death of Jenniffer Xuley (George's wife and the mother of Christian and Steven). The end of the story (Christian's choice) doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's alright. All in all, it's a welcome development into the Huxleys' saga.

[Michael Pryor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eerie, enfolding, seductive.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the heart of this fantasy is the medieval Welsh Arthurian tale of Culhwch and Olwen, but there are also echoes of other Celtic texts including The Spoils of Annwn, motifs from classical mythology and references to more recent fiction such as Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Christian Huxley, like his father before him, ventures into an ancient woodland — Ryhope Wood — peopled by figures from myth and legend and emanations from dreams and imaginations, following a personal quest born in tragic circumstances.

Woods and forests are places of mystery and adventure where anyone can imagine meeting Robin Hood or Tarzan or a coven of witches or a brood of dragons — Holdstock knows this and it’s this which gives his story its daydream-like quality, despite it frequently descending into nightmare. The story draws you in and along, despite apparent inconsistencies, with a rare sense of urgency. I read Holdstock’s Mythago Wood some time ago but though I missed the intervening volumes I was just as enchanted with this title, set in the same magical Celtic milieu.

An original but sympathetic approach to the Matter of Britain then, but don’t mistake it for Rachel Levy’s classic 1948 study The Gate of Horn (coincidentally published in the year of Holdstock’s birth), with which it shares similar material and which it was presumably inspired by. And don’t be put off, as I was, by his idiosyncratic transliteration of Celtic names and occasional mistakes. For example he has ‘Trwch’ for Twrch Trwyth, where twrch is Welsh for ‘hog’, the mythical beast chased by Arthur and his men over South Wales, including the hills where I live: from our garden I can see, a mile away to the north, the vast bowl-like coombe where Arthur’s sons died in combat with the giant wild boar and his offspring.

http://wp.me/s2oNj1-ivory

[Jason Beech · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm currently reading this book but, unless it pulls it off at the end then I am highly disappointed by it. Mythago Wood inferred mystery and fantasy, whereas this puts it in your face. That's where fantasy falls down. I hate fantasy, but I loved Mythago Wood because like the mythagos themselves, you see them in the periphery. It gave the whole book a magical realism. None of the woods' characters (except the girl and the British Tommy) speaks English which keeps belief in the story tight. "Gates of Ivory, Gates of Horn", however, has everybody understanding each other (through the magic of an interpreter) and I suppose this makes sense if Christian is destined to lead these men and women, but it reeks of nonsense. It is no longer magical realism - it is fantasy, and that is the worst crime. Guiwinneth is also a lesser character (so far). The love story has nothing going for it. There was no build up of passion like when Steven fell for her in the first book. Steven's quest for her felt right... it had passion and meaning. So far, I don't really get Christian's passion for her in this one.
So far, I am very disappointed.

I finished it ages ago, but had forgotten about it. Can't remember much about anymore. It tells you something, because I still remember a lot about Mythago Wood, which I will read again soon (for the 5th time).

[Isabel (kittiwake) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In "Mythago Wood", Steven Huxley came home after WWII to find that his Father and older brother Christian had disappeared into Ryhope Wood. This prequel covers Christian's encounters with the figures from the wood as a child, and his decision on returning from the war to follow his crazed father into the wood. Once in the wood he becomes caught up in the playing out of a quest from Welsh mythology (the tale of Kylhuk's quest to win the hand of the giant's daughter Olwen), and realises that he is on a quest of his own.

It is George Huxley's decades long obsession with the mythagos and his frequent incursions into Ryhope Wood that have increased the number and power of the mythagos within its bounds. And I think it must be his desire for the Guiwenneth figure which has caused Guiwenneth mythagos to be generated for both his sons, personifications of the same heroine from different versions of her myth.

I liked this more than "Mythago Wood", and nearly as much as the fabulous "Lavondyss". It explained a lot of things that were left as mysteries in the first book, since that was told from Steven's point of view and he had very little idea of what his father and brother had been up to while he was in France.

[Freya Pickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastical masterpiece
This venture into Ryhope Wood centres on Christian Huxley, one of the sons of George Huxley, and deals with his strange adventures in a fantastical land.
This novel has a very Celtic feel to it with references to other tales in this series, including subjects such as death, the idea of mythago and the Green Man.
I love the fluid, rhythmical prose that captures both terrible good and dreadful evil. The strongest theme that comes through is the idea of Quest and the two gates in the title; one brings dreams of truth, the other of illusion. But which gate does Christian experience?
A delightful, tantalising read that makes me want to re-read it immediately!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been mostly concentrating on reading my backlog of magazines in the past few months, which is why this has taken me so long. Even if my sessions of reading it weren't few and far between, I still probably wouldn't have enjoyed it a lot--I think these books and all their related stories have become tiresome for me, and I rarely know or understand what's going on anymore. Still, I have all the books, and I'm just going to finish them, dammit. On to Avilion. Almost done!

[Warren Rochelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book, as it lacked the power of the first three, and seemed to drift.

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Robert Holdstock's Mythago cycle. That said, each book in the series gets worse and worse. This was a real disappointment.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I should have read the author's previous book about the mythago's world before attempting this one, or perhaps I needed to look into some Celtic mythology first. The many characters ensconced in this story each had their own background story as well as being part of the bigger tale. Some of those characters were confused about their own history and bits and pieces were parceled out here and there while the main character, Christian, becomes embroiled in the strange world where time and space is warped and changing at all times. Christian is unsure of his roll in the mission of those around him as he tries to find his father, who disappeared into this bizarre landscape years ago, and to learn the truth about his mother's death. There just seemed to be too many story lines happening at once and this made the tale rather cumbersome and confusing.

[Chris Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prequeling the events of Mythago Wood, another journey to the heart of Ryhope Wood and back. It's bigger on the inside...

Primal, mystical and replete with inspiration from pagan Celtic and pre-Celtic myth. This is raw, earthy fantasy but at the same time dream-like and surreal. The Four Ancient Books of Wales meets The Night Land (but without too much of the latter's more troublesome aspects).

[Jed Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prequel to MYTHAGO WOOD, and an Alan Garner-esque revision of the mythos in many respects. This is a bit more confusing than others in the series, often unnecessarily so (as when he refers back to details dozens of pages earlier in the plot that lasted only a sentence or two), and the sprawling quest narrative that occupies much of the middle of the novel does grow tiresome. But the ending is really powerful and raises some fascinating questions about memory, both personal and historic: a meaningful addition to the series.

[Martina Kovaříková · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 starts from me. I enjoyed it a lot in the beginning, but I admit that towards the end, I felt slight drag. Do not take me wrong, I still enjoyed it a lot and it was nice to see different perspective on some myths, but the end was bit... I am not sure what to say. Having said that, there is an inspiration with the Greek myths as well as something resembling maybe Celtic myths? It definitely was having Celtic and Nordic vibes, which are myths, that I enjoy a lot. However it is not the easiest read and when you just feel the need to relax, it is not a book I would pick up due to its complexity. But it ties well with the rest of the cycle if you are into, and it goes sort of back to book one, although you do not have to read that one first, if you cannot get hold of it.
I would recommend it if you like the series, but it is not an easy read. And the ending is slightly as always open to interpretation.

[Rob Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but..

Not as good as the others in the cycle, slow in parts, but just as imaginative.
The ending is ambiguous and leaves a hole never to be filled with the further tale of Christians descent into the fierce madman previously recounted.

[lili.darknight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opäť krásny návrat do tohto sveta, ktorý každou ďalšou knihou získava väčšiu hĺbku.

[june · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just horrid.

[Eija · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norsunluuportti palaa Alkumetsä tarinoissa alkulähteille, Huxleyn perheeseen. Näkökulma on perheen vanhimman pojan Christianin. Poika jatkaa isänsä viitoittamalla tiellä ja katoaa metsään, missä aika kulkee omia uomiaan. Pojalle on kehkeytynyt sama pakkomielle Ryhopen metsää ja mytago Guiwennethiä kohtaan, kuin isällään. Guiwenneth on erilainen, kuin isän ilmentymä samasta naisesta.

Mytagot ovat omasta tiedottomasta tajunnasta kumpuavia myyttisien hahmojen ilmentymiä – arvaamattomia ja vaarallisia. Tässä tarinassa ne ovat lähinnä heijasteita kelttiläisestä sankaritarustosta. Aluksi ne ovat aavemaisia heijastuksia näkökentän rajamailla, mutta realisoituvat käsinkosketeltaviksi hahmoiksi Ryhopen metsässä. Christian päätyy metsässä Menetetty toivo nimisen legioonan jäseneksi ja hänelle on määrätty tehtävä suoritettavaksi.

Kirjassa kerrotaan useita taruja, tarut sekoittuvat ja yhdistyvät reaalimaailmaan. Tarunhohtoisia hahmoja on riittävästi, joista kuoleman lautturi Elidyr on mieleenpainuvin. Kirjassa on taikaa, mutta siinä on myös rumuutta. Huxleyn miehet eivät karta mitään keinoja, jotta saisivat rakastamansa Guiwennethin omakseen. Vaimo on este ja veli tai poika on uhka. Oudosti suomennoksen nimestä on jätetty pois tosiunien väylä Sarviportti, joka näyttelee yhtä suurta roolia kirjassa kuin Norsunluuportti, minkä kautta valheelliset unet kulkeutuvat.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the continuation of Holdstock's "Mythago wood"-series. I read the book in Finnish, and the translation was, just like in the previous books, very good. The book had the same kind of dreamlike and unclear (in the good way) descriptions of characters, feelings and environments. Sadly, this review will be quite unsubstantial, since describing the plot would be too much of a spoiler for anyone planning on reading this. Either way, I recommend reading the previous books in the series before tackling this one, to get the most out of the story (I've read "Mythago wood"/"Alkumetsä" and "Lavondyss"/"Metsän Henget" before this one, and recommend both).

[K. Axel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually the very first of Robert Holdstock's Mythago woods' books that I read, and this one I bought purely because of the strange cover created by the amazing John Howe.

I was NOT disappointed, in the least!

This books is so wonderfully weird, bringing you from the real world deep into a foreign, yet familiar, world of the past. Its basically...unpredictable and so amazingly beautiful that you cannot let go of it before you've read it all the way through...

Sadly...this is a quick read, but fear not...there are plenty of other Mythago books, and they are all good!

[S.A. Parham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mythagos Wood book. Holdstock is another author who uses obscure mythology in his modern fantasy, and it works out decently. While this book wasn't as absorbing as I've found books by de Lint, he's definately in the same calibre of writing. I liked the main character, although I felt at times the author was being deliberately obscure without need to be on the plot. The ending is rather unexpected and worth the wait.

[Vít · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brána ze slonoviny, brána z rohu patří mezi moje nejoblíbenější kousky z Ryhopského lesa. Příběh staršího z Huxleyových bratrů dává spolu s Lesem mytág dohromady perfektní skládačku. A "ztracené děti" jsou skvělé, můj oblíbenec je Někdo, hledající svoje jméno, a pak samozřejmě fantastická Issabeau.
Tohle fakt člověk může číst pořád dokola a pořád to bude stát za pět hvězd.

[Greg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alas, the author has better quality than Lavondyss but by not much .

[jack]

on par with the rest of the books in the mythago wood series! for me, that means that this was great. fantasy with heavy mythical tones.

[Serge Pierro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as strong as the previous books in the series. However, it is still worth reading - if you are a fan of Holdstock's series.

[Denisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another rating: 8/10